Spike-puller.



W. B. WERD, H. RODDA & J. H. VIOL. SPIKE FULLER APPLIOATIOHIILIBD BEPLM, 19074 Patented Nov. 17 1908.

INVENTORS VWLLIAMEWEHD mp n m m R YH A R N UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

. WILLIAM E. WERD; OF DEER LODGE, AND HENRY RODDA AND JOHN H. VIOL, OF BUTTE, MONTANA; SAID WEED ASSIGNOR OF ALL OF HIS RIGHT TO SAID VIOL.

SPIKE-FULLER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 1'7, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, IVILLIAM E. IVERD, a citizen of the United States, and residing at Deer Lodge, in the county of Powell and State of Montana, and HENRY Room and JOHN H. VIoL, citizens of the United States, and residing at Butte, in the county of Silverbow and State of Montana, have invented a new and useful In'iprovement in Spike- Pullers, of which the following is a specifi cation.

This invention is an improved labor saving device for pulling spikes from railroad ties, and the like, in a rapid and easy manner without pulling off the heads of the spikes and it consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts as hereinafter described with reference to the drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of the entire device in operative position. Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of the jaws of the same, showing supplemental nippers applied to the same. Fig. 2 is a detail of one of the nipper jaws and Fig. 3 is an underneath view of the fulcrum pedestal.

The device may be made of any desired size, but for the purpose of pulling spikes it should be about five feet long and of stout and substantial construction, capable of bearing the considerable strain to which it is necessarily subjected in extracting spikes.

A is the main lever made straight and of steel and having at one end a wooden handle B and at the other end a gripping jaw a. Intermediate the length of this lever there are two lateral enlargements a a and between these two enlargements the main lever is made with a cross section which is of greater dimensions in vertical direction than it is in horizontal direction, in order to stand the pulling strain, which is in a vertical plane, and for the further purpose of giving room for a series of holes a to receive a fulcrum pin.

O is a fulcrum pedestal, which has a foot 0 hollowed out on the under side and serrated along its edges as seen in Fig. 3, so that it will not slip on its support when the strain is applied. This fulcrum pedestal has two upwardly extended standards 0 0 whose upper ends are parallel and receive between them the vertically thickened part of the main lever, said parallel portions of the standards being provided with a vertical series of holes 0 to receive the removable fulcrum pin (Z which also passes through one of the holes of the lever. The vertical series of holes in the standard permits the fulcrum pin to be raised or lowered for longer or shorter spikes, and the series of holes in the main lever allows the position of the fulcrum to be so changed along the lever as to increase its power or range of movement, as may be required.

In a horizontal recess in the enlargement a is fulcrumed on a vertical pin 6 the movable jaw c which has a rearwardly extended arm E, connected loosely to a pull rod F, and this pull rod is loosely connected to an enlargement in the gripping arm G which has a wooden handle 9. The gripping arm G, pull rod F and arm E are on the same side of the main lever and the gripping arm G has a forked head whose branches embrace the main lever at its enlargement a and is fulcrumed thereto by a pin entering one of the holes in said enlargement.

In making use of the invention, the fulcrum pedestal O is set upon the tie, or other support, near the spike to be pulled, and the gripping jaw a is placed adjacent to the head of the spike. The gripping arm G is then drawn toward the main lever to bring the other gripping jaw 6 up to engagement with the head of the spike, which is thereby firmly pinched between the two jaws. The main lever A and the gripping arm B are then pressed strongly downward and the gripping jaws, rising about the fulcrum on the pedestal, draw the spike upwardly and out of its seat in the tie.

It will be seen, that the axial fulcrum of the rear extension E of the movable gripping jaw and the axial fulcrum of the gripping arm G are in planes parallel to each other, and this together with the location of said extension E, rod F, and gripping arm' G on the same side of the main lever A, removes the rod F from range of interference with the fulcrum pedestal O of the main lever in the act of pulling the spike.

In case it is desired to cut of]? the head of the spike, or if the head of the spike is too closely driven into the tie to be seized supplemental nipper jaws m m are detachably applied to the jaws as seen in Figs. 2 and 2 For this purpose the gripping jaws a and e are formed with vertical holes h and each detachable nipper jaw m is formed with a top part 1 which lies on top of the gripping jaws and has a downwardly projecting pin 2 that enters the hole IL in the gripping jaw and has its face bent downwardly and formed with a cutting edge 3 which lies in a plane near the bottom of the gripping jaws. Then these detachable nippers are in place they get closely under the head of the spike and also form cutting edges, like shears, and can be made to snip off the head of the spike. By regulating the pressure these ni )pers may be made to seize a headless spi e or a spike with a damaged head and withdraw it from its seat when it is not desired to drive such headless spike in.

We claim- A device for pulling spikes &c., consisting of a straight main lever portion having a handle at one end and a gripping jaw at the other and two lateral enlargements near the lower end with an intermediate perforated portion between said enlargements of greater transverse dimensions in a ver tical plane than in a horizontal plane, a second gripping jaw fulcrumed to the first namedjaw at the lower end and having a rearward extension, a pull rod attached to said extension and a gripping arm fulerumed to the upper lateral enlargement of the main lever and connected to the pull rod the rear extension of the gripping jaw and the gripping arm being both on the same side of the main lever and being fulcrumed upon axes parallel to each other, a fulcrum pedestal having branched and parallel standards to receive the main lever and a fulcrum pin for connecting it to the pedestal and arranged at right angles to the fulcrum of the gripping jaws.

WILLIAM E. WERD.

HENRY RODDA.

JOHN H. VIOL.

WVitnesses WV. D. KYLE, MAY SANDOW. 

